Edge of the Unknown
by Kold Kitty
Summary: Scourge thought he was just going back to school and it was going to be a regular year. That was until he starts seeing things that shouldn't be there. {High school AU with a paranormal element. Includes ScourgexFiona, slight ShadowxRouge, and hints of various other ships.}
1. Vision

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction so please try not to be too harsh. I've seen a lot of High school and college AUs but not very many focus on the "bad students", so I thought I'd change that! I've also decided to use lesser known characters, even if it won't get me as many views. The paranormal part of this story will slowly increase in importance as it goes on.**

 **This is mostly a small introduction to Scourge's home, still, hope you like it.**

 **Texts will be _italicized_.**

* * *

The worn stairs creaked angrily as Scourge made his way down to the basement, an irritating odor like fresh wood tickling his nose. He let a groan rumble in his throat and a scowl presented itself on his muzzle, blue eyes scanning the mess once his pulled the single chain to turn on the light. Dusty illumination revealed old crates and boxes somewhat neatly stacked on top of one another, causing Scourge to silently pray none would topple onto him. There was a rack of tools hung on the wall, hammers and screwdrivers gently used but they were now wearing blankets of dust. Other objects were dotted about the space, ranging from bookshelves and a table covered with random figurines and knickknacks, to a large piano stuck in the corner that clearly hadn't been touched in some time. Why did they even have that?

Scourge scratched his quills and knew he had to start on something. He wasn't sure why his father had decided to tell him to start cleaning the basement when school started back tomorrow, but there was no reasoning with him nowadays. His attention turning to the crowded table, the blue-eyed hedgehog figured he should start there. There was a pile of unused envelopes on the far side and some pens lying nearby, an odd vase stood proudly near the middle. It was white, but accented in a periwinkle color and some kind of flower was painted on two sides. He looked over the fragile figurines, the animals and angels staring at him with tiny eyes and unmoving faces. They were forever stuck in time, forced to stay motionless and watch. Creepy.

Scourge moved over to the boxes, hoping that if some were empty he could simply place the oddities inside. He peeled open the first box he could get to and was surprised when he saw there was absolutely nothing inside. Now he just needed to find something that would keep the things from breaking. Yet, he heard a buzzing sound and took his phone from his pocket. A text from Fiona.

A small spark of joy lit up his eyes, his grin showing off his jagged teeth.

 _Hey baby, ready for school tomorrow? :P_

Scourge chuckled. She didn't seem very thrilled.

 _Not really, but what can you do? I hope Mrs. West isn't teaching anymore_

He could have sworn the history teacher had something against him, even more so than the rest of the staff.

 _Same, that pheasant should be a hawk with how much she sees and hears! :0_

Scourge felt his body shake with a faint laugh. Fiona was much more expressive over text than in person and he found it quite funny.

 _Haha! Hey, Nack and the others haven't left have they?_

 _Uh I actually haven't heard from them most of the summer. Bean texted me for the first few days but then he just stopped_

 _Aw really? Gee it won't be as funny without them if they left_

When he managed to find room for the box on the table, his phone buzzed again and he quickly looked to see what his girlfriend had said.

Though, he didn't read it. There was a black figure in his peripheral vision, completely still and motionless. From what he could tell, it was right in front of the stairs. Thinking his father must have come down to check on him, he put up his hands and a nervous expression wiped away his confident one.

"I'm working, I promise!"

But, there was nothing there.

* * *

Scourge and his father ate in silence, the air rich with the smell of pasta and tomato sauce. The teenager caught glimpses of his pale blue father and noticed the sullen expression aging his face even more. He raised a brow, "Somethin' wrong, Dad?"

"No."

The reply was terse and to the point. It was unlike him. Also, he was a horrible liar.

Scourge thought for a few moments, twirling some more spaghetti with his fork before taking a bite. He chewed slowly and his hand twitched as a thought crossed his mind. He knew better than to bring it up, but his mouth acted on its own.

"Is it about Mom?"

A cold wind rushed by, freezing the air and settling uncomfortably over both hedgehogs. His father physically tensed at the mention of the woman who had run out on them at the beginning of summer break. Scourge knew he messed up but he couldn't bring himself to apologize. Still, nothing was said and he dropped the subject. Now he was the one being glanced at.

* * *

Scourge's room was dark, the lack of light causing the simplest of objects to become far more menacing. A jacket clinging to a chair could appear to move by itself or a meaningless mark on the closet door could grow in size if you stared at it too long. But Scourge didn't care, a small amount of light saved him from the creatures hidden in the shadows. He was still texting Fiona without caring about what time his phone read, laying partially on his side. Though, his friend Nack had also texted him after dinner, so at least he knew his purple weasel friend was still attending his school. Scourge kept his ears perked and alert, just in case his father woke up during the night.

 _So Nack, how's your sister?_

 _Nic still bothers the hell outta me but she's fine_

 _She won't stop annoying you until hell freezes over_

While waiting for a reply, he wondered what all had changed over the summer. Had any of his classmates left or completely altered over those few months? He certainly hadn't changed, he was still the arrogant and impatient troublemaker he was known for being. Fiona was still clever and still in sync with his thoughts. He couldn't say the same for some of the other students he hung out with. Or, at least, he didn't know if he could. His phone vibrated, it was Fiona.

 _You should get some sleep, school starts tomorrow :/_

The green hedgehog glanced at the time. 12:35. He mentally shrugged, it wasn't all that late.

 _You're still awake too, babe ;) Besides it ain't too late_

There was sudden motion in the corner of his eye and a chill ran down his spine. He felt like something was watching him. He shot up and wildly looked around, expecting to see a figure staring at him from across the room or something to grab him. Again, there was nothing. Just his furniture. He tried to calm down and stop his heart from beating so hard. He was panicking over nothing.

Maybe Fiona was right, maybe he needed to get some sleep.


	2. Trouble Has Blue Eyes

**Here's Chapter Two! Quick note, some characters may be OOC in order to fit the AU. For example: Nack may be less greedy and Scourge may lack some of his infamous cruelty. Forgive me ^^;**

 **Also, any OCs in here will either be teachers or random students.**

* * *

Scourge stepped out of his car and closed the door, not minding the cool breeze that brushed past. Several students were hanging around their trucks and small cars talking with others or waiting impatiently for their friends. He shifted and kept his gaze on the massive school, studying the shape and exterior; it didn't appear that it had changed at all.

Adjusting his leather jacket that he always wore and pushing his red sunglasses out of his eyes, the green teenager grinned and allowed his pointed teeth to gleam like ice in sunlight. Some stared as he walked past, mumbling incoherent words or simply glaring. Some held a glint of respect in their eyes or let their mouths fall open. He did nothing but stir up trouble and see himself better than anyone else; but there were those who understood his individuality. He was both admired and despised.

No one of interest was hanging around the parking lot, but a lean vixen wearing a yellow bow in her long hair was sitting upon the railing at the top of the stairs; it was like she was sitting on a throne with her crossed legs and confident look. Her tail swished when her sky-like eyes spotted the hedgehog heading her way and her lips curled into a smooth grin.

She slid off and placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head. They shared a knowing smile before she put her arms playfully around his neck, head lowering but her gaze never left his, "Good to see you again, babe."

"Same to you. Hope you weren't too lonely without me." was Scourge's reply, his hands on her back and voice matching her unreadable tone. They shared a swift kiss before an accented voice interrupted them.

"Lovebirds were not the first thing I wanted to see when I came back 'ere."

The couple turned their heads to see a pair of weasels, both sharing the same rich purple fur, bright blue eyes, and a long tooth curving from their mouths. Though, the female sported a long ponytail and was barely taller, while the male had a longer fang and wore a brown hat.

"Hello, you two," Fiona greeted them first, moving to Scourge's side and letting him wrap an arm around her waist, "Nic and Nack."

The nicknames were funny to say aloud.

Nack rolled his eyes and Nic smirked, asking, "You two seen Bark and Bean? I 'aven't seen those hooligans all summer."

Scourge shook his head, the odd duo briefly appearing in his mind. One a borderline psychopathic duck with skewed priorities and the other a protective but silent polar bear who spoke once in a blue moon. He sometimes wondered how he had ended up with such a bizarre group of friends, but he supposed it was better to not question it.

"Maybe they're already inside." Fiona suggested with a flick of her tail.

They entered Emerald High School together.

Their feet walked on a pale beige tile that alternated with patterns of white and the lights above almost made it appear waxy. Down toward the hallways that were lined with lockers and classroom doors, white was the dominant color but was lined with a deep pine green, dark brown, black, and other colors no one was sure what their specific names were. The walls were covered with the same pale color and large bricks held it all together. The lockers looked new but were the typical navy blue. Over on the right was a wide staircase that lead to the upper level of the school because there were so many students and so many classes. It was exactly the same as last year.

Fiona was allowing her brilliant pools to take in the familiar surroundings before speaking in a curious tone, "What class do you guys have first? I'm in chemistry with Mr. Brooks."

"Heh, so am I." Scourge answered from beside her, his grip still on her waist. Her eyes lit up, then listened to the weasels.

"Oi, I'm stuck in Mrs. West's 'istory class first thing." Nack sighed, shoulder sagging with the thought of the strict pheasant weighing on his mind. His sister snickered, "I 'ave chemistry with you two."

Scourge patted his friend's back, voice dripping with teasing, "Poor Nack's all by himself. Unless Bark and Bean are in there too, but I don't see them anywhere..."

* * *

Scourge, Fiona, and Nic were greeted with a few faces that they remembered. Rouge the Bat had taken the desk in the very center, her aqua orbs half-lidded and tan muzzle bearing her normal, somewhat amused smile. Jet the Hawk and Wave the Swallow were close to the windows, the two birds scanning the other students occupying the room before whispering to each other and shaking with muffled laughter. Shadow's scarlet gaze found itself on the three as they walked in, but he said nothing. Scourge glanced back at the two girls and gave a shrug, choosing a seat closer to the back, Nic plopping herself down behind him and Fiona sitting on his left.

The bell soon rang and the teacher, an older man with silvery hair and a wise face walked in, the door closing quietly behind him. He sat down behind his desk and it was impossible to tell what he could possibly be thinking. His dark brown eyes moved down to an off-white piece of paper and he picked up a black pen.

"Is Fiona Fox here?" His voice was grainy, like sand.

"Hello, Mr. Brooks." the vixen replied with a playful tone, tail nearly brushing against the floor.

"Hello to you too. Hm...Gabriel the Goat?"

"Here."

"Jet the Hawk?"

"Here, sir."

Scourge stifled a yawn when the elderly teacher called his name, mumbling a "here" when a sudden wave of drowsiness hit him like a bus. When Mr. Brooks was finished, he gave a satisfied nod seeing that everyone was present. Then, he cleared his throat, "So, has anyone here memorized the periodic table before?"

* * *

Six troublesome students sat together in a section of a long, rectangular table closer to the corner of the massive cafeteria. Bark and Bean had joined the group previously of four, it turned out they did in fact have the same class as Nack and had already been in the room. Bean wore the red bandana just like he had ever since the others knew the green bird, whether it matched his outfit or not. His eyes were the same blinding shade of blue that Fiona and Scourge had; they shined with a light none could understand. Bark had kept quiet all day like he normally did, his darker blue eyes watching everything. A green scarf was wrapped neatly around his neck that he only abandoned during the warmer months. They were sitting on either side of Nack, who they had a stronger friendship with than Scourge.

"Hey, is it true that you two moved?" came Bean's excited question, beak stretching as his grin grew.

Nic gave an affirmative nod, resting her head on her hand as she explained, "That's correct, darlin'. We 'ad to move since Daddy got a promotion and it would take way too long ta' get there where we were livin'. So now we're in that big ol' house 'bout five minutes from 'ere."

Bean's expression brightened in awe while Scourge commented with a blank look, "You're real lucky to have successful parents like that, I bet you two don't have much to worry about, do ya?"

The purple siblings shared a glance but gave no audible answer, Nic merely shrugging and Nack continuing to munch on his burger.

"New year, new students, new teachers..." Fiona started, shifting the subject as she leaned forward on her elbows, "You guys know what that means. More victims."

Six pairs of blue eyes sparked with the same mischievous light.

Scourge's jagged teeth showed themselves again when he smirked, wondering what all they could get away with. It was a miracle they hadn't gotten expelled last year, they had to push the limit even further this time though. But something snapped him out of his thrilled thoughts.

A chill crawled up his spine and he tried not to look when he spotted a formless black shape in the corner of his vision.


	3. Out the Window

**Fun fact: The stunt Scourge pulls is based off something someone in my class did once.**

* * *

The group of six were hanging around the halls, waiting until the last minute before scrambling to class and barely beating the bell. That was the way they were and most were certain nothing could change that.

"You know what I can't wait for?" Bean began while fiddling with his red bandana. Scourge and Fiona shared a blue glance and Bark merely shrugged. The duck grinned in a maniacal way that only he could master, "Halloween!"

Fiona rolled her eyes and slipped an arm around Scourge, not bothering to comment that it was still almost two months away, though Nack muttered, "I never really cared for it, actually..."

"What?!" Bean squawked as if the purple weasel had uttered the most atrocious thing in existence, causing several students to turn and stare at the group suspiciously. A few girls whispered among themselves before hurrying down the hallway and Shadow narrowed his eyes before continuing on his way, muttering something about putting 'that green fowl in a mental institution'. Scourge found himself agreeing with the darker hedgehog. Bean was completely oblivious to the extra attention he brought to the group and kept rambling, "How could you not like Halloween?! There's candy and parties and you get to scare people! What's better than that?!"

Bark put his large hand over Bean's beak in an attempt to shut him up. His navy blue eyes were half-lidded with annoyance.

"Ah, thank you, Bark!" Nack grinned at the large polar bear, but it faded when his sister playfully leaned against him, "Don't worry about him, Bean. He's one of the people who ends up getting scared every year."

"Am not!" came Nack's indignant response with flushed cheeks, but by then all of his friends were laughing.

* * *

Scourge thought there was no way that there were still fifteen minutes of class left; to him it felt like he had been in there three times as long as he should have been. He muffled a groan and dully watched Ms. Bell continue writing math problems on the board. The petite redhead was the only new teacher and Scourge hadn't really decided what he thought of her yet. Her overly kind demeanor screamed that she was a novice, but at the same time she had yet to irritate him to any real degree. She was alright.

Her movements suddenly stopped and she turned her head to stare at the clock on the wall. Her thin fingers adjusted her glasses before she turned around with a light, waxy grin, "Alright class, we can stop here today."

The sigh of relief was practically simultaneous.

Seeming to ignore this, the teacher walked over to a small desk that looked ready to collapse at the slightest touch. Her cornflower blue eyes examined the worn out seat, then her gaze floated over to Scourge, "Ah...Scourge, right? Would you mind taking this old desk downstairs and outside to the garbage bin while I go ask Mr. Robotnik if he has any extras?"

Another sign she was new, she actually asked the rebellious hedgehog for a favor. His sharp-toothed smirk made another appearance, "Can do, ma'am."

"Thank you." she replied simply before stepping out of the room.

It was quiet, several stares were locked onto Scourge. Some were waiting expectantly for him to move while others were alight with amusement as they knew he wouldn't do anything about the desk. He felt the gazes and glanced over, "What? There's no way in hell I'm doing that."

Many students laughed as they had known he would say that, yet a pink hedgehog wearing a red headband crossed her arms and gave him a glare, "C'mon, Scourge, do you have to be such a jerk? Just do it."

Tikal's gentle voice echoed the previous statement, but in a nicer way, "Please, don't get in trouble on the first..."

"Is this really the way you want to start off the year?" came Blaze's question, laced with disbelief.

"You can't make me do anything, Amy." was the only thing Scourge bothered saying, not even acknowledging her two friends. He leaned against the back of his seat and felt Fiona's fingers running through his mess of verdure quills. Normally he despised any such action, but the vixen knew he would let her get away with it. A minute passed before he recalled something and a wide grin stretched across his fair muzzle. He got to his feet and he heard Fiona's tail gently thump in annoyance. He looked out the window and managed to peer down. He had been right. The dumpster was right below and the lid was open. He would do the favor, but only his way.

Everyone knew he had something in mind the instant he turned around. Fiona tilted her head curiously but shared his grin.

"Heh, what's with that look, Scourge?" Jet questioned from nearby while his beak was curled in a mischievous smile. Scourge didn't answer, but he forced open the window and felt a stream of cool air sneak into the room. Some students mumbled in irritation at the slight drop in temperature but Amy gasped slightly, knowing what he was going to do. Fiona's tail curled as she began to laugh, watching her boyfriend pick up the old desk, "Scourge, you wouldn't."

"You know I would, babe, and I am." He winked, scarcely hearing the door open before tossing the desk out the window. It was a straight drop into the dumpster and he was pretty sure it broke open a trash bag or two when it hit. He snickered and turned around, brilliant cerulean eyes on Ms. Bell, "There ya' go, teach!"

Her face went from milky white to crimson red in a single moment.

"To the principal's office!"

So much for overly kind.

He gave a careless shrug and strolled out of the room, spotting Fiona and Jet who were clearly trying not to laugh. He didn't make eye contact with the teacher and continued down the hallway, eyes trailing the designs along the floor.

Scourge slowly made his way down to steps, his black shoes clapping against the tile and the empty space made it echo. He muttered curses under his breath for getting caught, though he was still proud of that stunt he had pulled. It was fun and it was what he wanted to do. That was all that mattered. He looked up and noticed someone had left the door open. His blood ran cold as a featureless black shadow dashed in front of the doorframe. He felt his body go rigid, like his bones had frozen over. He didn't even know why he was scared by something so unusual, but he just knew he was. Nobody was there when he got to the bottom.


	4. Gray Skies

**Chapter 4 is here and thank you to those who have followed or favorited this story. But, I would appreciate some reviews you know!**

 **Anyway, I don't have any real comments on this chapter so...I hope you like it!**

* * *

After allowing Principal Robotnik to rant about how it was only the first day and how unbelievable it was that Scourge couldn't even wait a day before pulling a stunt like that, Scourge left with a detention scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. He scoffed as he left the office, not even knowing why it was that big of a deal. No one was hurt and he did what the teacher asked. Perhaps he had explained why but it wasn't like Scourge was paying attention.

"I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to wait out here all day, hon." Fiona greeted him once he stepped out of the school. Like before, she was sitting on the concrete railing with a smirk playing on her lips, "So how much trouble did you get in?"

Scourge allowed his expression to mirror the vixen's, "I got detention tomorrow, but that's nothing new."

Fiona made a thoughtful noise before sliding off the railing and her sky-like eyes flitting to the near empty parking lot. She spoke again as she removed the yellow bow holding back her hair and let it fall, "The others already left."

"You're as loyal as always, babe, waiting on me like that." Scourge winked, "So, you wanna go anywhere? I've got time."

Fiona shook her head apologetically, "Sorry, my mom is taking me shopping for some new clothes. Why she decides now after the first day of school? I have no idea."

Scourge couldn't hide his disappointment but shrugged nonchalantly, "It's all good, maybe another time. Well, guess I'll head on."

"I'll text you later."

The two shared a quick hug, strangely affectionate for teenagers who seemed so casual, before Scourge headed out into the parking lot and climbed inside his car. He took off down the road with loud music blasting into his ears and mind in disarray with thoughts of Fiona and the bizarre black figures.

* * *

The bell gave out a happy chime as Scourge walked into the gas station. He really didn't care to come to this one much as it screamed 'sketchy', but it was on his way home so he might as well. He waved at the indifferent cashier and strolled in, heading for the drinks. His gaze trailed over the various cans and bottles, finally deciding on a dark soda with a faded grin. After grabbing a few more assorted snacks, he headed to the counter and placed the money in front of the cashier. The worker gave him a suspicious stare, almost questioning where the verdure teenager obtained the money. Scourge did give off that 'future criminal' atmosphere with his dark clothing and mischievous expressions, the cashier but took it without question and placed the change in his gloved hand.

"Oh, I'm on five..." he nodded outside to his car and placed some more bills on the red counter.

As he walked out to put gas in his car, he spotted Shadow and stopped. He hadn't gotten the chance to speak to him at school and was wondering if his friend did anything interesting over the break. The two didn't hang out as much as they did during middle school, but there was still a mutual respect for each other. Not to mention they both shared a dark sense of humor.

"Hey, dude. How've you been? Haven't heard from you all summer."

Shadow was quiet as he stopped in his tracks. He held no emotions in his expression and there was an unusual light in his crimson eyes. It was right then that Scourge knew something was wrong. The air was heavy around the ebony hedgehog, as if something was physically weighing him down and something made Scourge's skin crawl with unease. It was like there was another presence with him; at least, Scourge would say that if he believed in that sort of thing.

Shadow simply shrugged before he walked into the store.

* * *

"You alright, Nack? You sound pissed off."

Scourge felt the damp air cling to his fur and the sky was dim, covered with a thin gray blanket ready to send rain down at any moment. His cerulean gaze scanned the trees that stood proudly behind his house while his foot tapped against the wooden porch. With so much nature around them and a lot of space between the other houses in the area, he liked to joke he lived in the middle of nowhere.

"Aye, no. I'm just irritated, I don't care much for this new 'ouse."

"Really?" Scourge couldn't imagine why the greedy weasel wouldn't be loving the expensive looking house, "Why's that? It looks really cool on the outside. Is it bad lookin' inside?"

There was no answer at first. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, Scourge turned to see if his father was standing behind the screen door. But, yet again, there was nothing there.

Aggravation was beginning to push away the fear he felt every time he spotted one of those strange figures. A growl barely kept itself from making itself audible and he peered through the glass. Nobody stood in the living room and nothing seemed to be touched. The small television was off, the couch dull with age wasn't occupied, and no footsteps were heard. Scourge couldn't wrap his head around it.

"...you there?"

Nack's vaguely concerned voice chased away his thoughts and he realized he had completely blocked out whatever his friend had said. Shaking his head as if trying to clear his mind, he awkwardly cleared his throat and turned back toward the forest, "Sorry, uh...what did you say?"

"I said there's nothing wrong with the place, I just don't feel comfortable 'ere. Feels like something else is 'ere."

The hedgehog rolled his eyes while pushing his recent unexplainable happenings to the back of his head; Nack was being ridiculous. "You're just being paranoid about the new house. It'll grow on ya."

"I 'ope you're right."

"Also, I wouldn't tell Nic. It'll just be something else for her to make fun of you for."

"...too late."

* * *

Scourge sat on his bed with his homework forgotten beside him. Only a handful of the blanks were filled in with messy writing, showing that he was in a hurry to get it over with. Though, at some point he obviously became distracted by Fiona and ended up texting her than doing his work.

 _Hey Fi, is something wrong with Shadow? I saw him today at the gas station but there was something off. He almost ignored me when I talked to him_

 _Aw man I heard that he's gotten into some really bad stuff over the summer_

Scourge was puzzled. What qualified as "really bad stuff"?

 _Like what?_

 _I wish I knew, babe :/ Much as I dislike her, you should probably ask Rouge. She is his girlfriend after all._

The ivory bat mentioned always antagonized Fiona and Nic; the three females were very much alike, but they were always competing against each other and trying to end up on top. Scourge never understood why his friends couldn't get along with Rouge, though he stopped questioning it every time once he remembered Sonic.

 _I'll try to. Must be something hardcore if it's too bad for us_

Scourge wondered for a moment. Was anything too bad for them?


End file.
